Home Forums General Discussion Forum Waltham 6/0 (Jewel Series) Shipper problem

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  • #49755
    dave booth
    Participant

      I have been fussing with a 6/0 Waltham “Emerald” that has a winding/setting problem. Setting is acceptable, but the stem does not engage in the crown in (winding) position. I thought at first it might be an incorrectly adjusted sleeve, and since I knew the watch needed cleaning, I took the movement out of the case and checked it with a bench key. Because I really couldn’t see much with the dial on, I got that and the motion works out of the way, and proceeded to watch the action of the winding sleeve as I pressed the key in. The sleeve is not pulling back completely to engage with the ratchet. I then removed the main wheel and barrel, center wheel and second wheel along with their bridge, and watched the motion of the winding mechanism from that side. The does not appear to be any excess play in the shipper lever in the slot on the sleeve, or on its pivot screw, and the pin seems to be actuating properly. I then removed the cover and shipper spring, but see nothing amiss there either, so reassembled it. The only thing I can think is that the screw that acts as a pivot point for the actuating bar (not the shipping lever pivot) must be worn. Is this a likely fault, or am I overlooking something obvious?

      Forgot to add – Pulling the shipper lever out engages the winding properly, but, of course, that is not a choice if one is to place the watch back in its case.

      #63630
      willofiam
      Moderator

        Hi Dave, this may be way off but check for gunk up under in the crown. William

        #63631
        dave booth
        Participant

          That was one of my first thoughts, so I disassembled and cleaned the entire watch. It was pretty filthy, and I could not tell if problems were caused (or exacerbated) by dirt. But that ain’t it. I wondered if Waltham used different sized shipper levers and actuating bars in those series, but when I look in the Swigart Watch Movement and Parts book, all the 6/0 jewel series seem to use the same part number.

          #63632
          dave booth
          Participant

            Found it! The problem was twofold: There was a spot of wear on the shipper lever where the pusher contacts it. Put in a shipper lever from a parts movement, and solved THAT issue. Then go to thinking about the stem/sleeve/case business. Turns out, the stem , when snapped into the winding position, was not staying all the way in. Disassembled them, and discovered someone had switched out the stem sometime in it’s past, and had used a stem that is not a Waltham design. The shoulder that holds it in the winding position is too short. Fortunately, I have several solutions to this. I have a wide assortment of stems and sleeves that I bought on the big popular auction site, and if push comes to shove, have a Peerless 8mm lathe, and a screw plate, and a parallel filing rest (home made)
            Here is a photo of my home made filing rest.

            #63633
            Bob Tascione
            Moderator

              Welcome to the forum Dave.
              Very nice, solid filing rest!

              Bob

              #63634
              dave booth
              Participant

                Well, here is the stem, ready for me to thread it. I only wrecked two before I got one without slipping when cutting that thin “neck”. :) (Minor diameter is0.11 mm)

                (By the way, that is a Mitutoyo metric/inch “Combimike”, Model 59-211. Range is 0-1″ on the thimble (by 0.0001″ increments) and 0-25.40 mm in the digital readout. It was $39.00 when I bought it to use measuring automobile brake rotors and engine valve stems in 1979, but I think they are still pretty affordable. The digital readout is mechanical, and it and the thimble are independently adjustable, if the faces wear, or the frame gets sprung. The anvil faces are carbide, and the slip tension in the thimble is adjustable. My only complaint with it for clock and watch work is I wish the fixed anvil end were a little thinner.)

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